The sudden deaths of homeless people in Nova Scotia is highlighting the urgent need for action, especially in rural parts of the province, according to advocates who work with unhoused individuals.
Two unhoused men died in the Annapolis Valley in the past two weeks.
The Kentville Police Service issued a statement Thursday saying the body of a 52-year-old man was found Wednesday morning in a park known as Miner’s Marsh. Investigators do not suspect foul play, but the province’s medical examiner has been called in to determine the cause of death.
In Kentville, Coun. John Andrew said the man who died Wednesday was found in a tent, where had been living for some time.
Last week, the RCMP confirmed that on Nov. 26 a man was found dead outside an ice fishing tent where he lived in Windsor, N.S., about 40 kilometres east of Kentville. A memorial service for William (Billy) Walsh, who was in his mid-50s, is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Kimm Kent, the director of the POSSE Project, which does outreach and support for the most vulnerable, said the man’s death has hit the organization hard.
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“I can tell you he was from this community, he was well loved, he was a regular here in our lives,” Kent said. “We had been supporting him for over a year and he was a friend and we miss him, and he deserved better than to die alone in a tent.”
Kent also said more needs to be done to support unhoused people in the community, whether through supportive housing or simply keeping accurate data on the number of unhoused people and deaths.
“How can we know what the impact is, in its entirety, if we’re not even valuing the lives of the people who died enough to count them to determine the impact of homelessness?” she asked.
“It might not be that homelessness is the cause of death. It might be hypothermia which is the cause of death, but the circumstance leading to that death is homelessness.”
Denise Myette, a volunteer with the West Hants Unhoused group, said she believes more long-term solutions must be put in place in order to avoid future deaths.
She also said it feels as if rural areas of the province are being overlooked when it comes to funding or programs.
“I feel like sometimes in small towns like ours, we don’t get some of the support that some of the bigger cities, things and places would have in Nova Scotia,” she said. “And I feel like what’s happening here in our town is that we have a lot of Band-Aid solutions.”
Myette acknowledged that the situation is difficult, but added that whether someone is homeless due to addiction or poverty, they need a curated solution.
“I always said the thing about the unhoused is that it’s a very complex situation. It’s very complex because it’s not a one solution problem right now. There’s got to be different things can happen,” she said.
West Hants Mayor Abraham Zabian declined an interview with Global News for this story but said in a statement that the municipality is working with volunteers and the province to support those in need.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
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